History of Wilton Park

One of the first PoW participants, Willi Brundert, felt Heinz Koeppler was key in creating such an environment. “He gave us Germans the possibility to become partners. He did not ‘re-educate’ us…, he did not tell us how things ought to be handled in Germany, but he made us think for ourselves; he believed it to be ‘vital’ in the real sense of the word, that Britons and Germans should get to know and to understand the other fellow’s point of view”. He continued: “I cannot describe the encouragement and confidence Heinz Koeppler and his colleagues gave to us, German prisoners of war, by having ministers of the British Crown, leading Opposition speakers, economic leaders… come and talk to us.”

Encouraged by the spirit of free expression, Mr Brundert, who went on to become the Mayor of Frankfurt, ran a satirical puppet show gently mocking Heinz Koeppler and his staff; cartoons in the Wilton Park newspaper used pointed humour.

These successful courses evolved as part of an initiative inspired by Sir Winston Churchill, the wartime Prime Minister, who called for Britain to help establish a successful democracy in Germany after the Second World War. From early 1947, civilians from other European countries – including Switzerland, Finland and France, began to participate in Wilton Park’s courses, where they were educated on the British way of life and democracy. Such courses eventually became open to the public after the last PoW course took place in June 1948.

Heinz Koeppler redefined Wilton Park with its arrival at Wiston House, stating its purpose was to give “a course in citizenship, in politics, and in common European problems with the emphasis on realism and impartiality. The purpose of these courses is, in brief, to make a positive contribution to the development of a European public opinion. People talk too much about Europe today without really being conscious of the practical problems.”

Conferences lasted two weeks, with a week devoted to study trips in London and other parts of Britain. Participants were encouraged to “concentrate on the awkward and vital issues,” and to be “brief, trenchant, and if possible, witty.”

Global participation

In the mid 1950s, the Government decided that Wilton Park should continue to be largely Government funded, but that it should develop and accrue a much wider remit.

From 1957, participation grew to include all the member countries of what is now the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Additionally, our agenda began to cover not just Europe, but also Asia and Africa.

A grant from the Ford Foundation enabled Wilton Park to broaden its range further in 1961, when North American participants began coming in increasing and enthusiastic numbers.

In the 1980s our horizons widened further with the first Soviet participation. At the first conference, an interpreter from the Soviet Embassy in London burst out of the interpreting booth to join in the debate. At another conference, legend has it that a leading Russian economist challenged all the other participants to chess and beat all comers. Participants were now coming from many countries of what was still the Soviet bloc. In one conference in October 1988, former Director Geoffrey Denton recalled a distinguished Romanian speaker dramatically announcing the imminent collapse of the Communist system. When asked if he meant in Romania he replied, “No, everywhere.” His prediction came true one year later. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, Central and South East Europeans have played a growing role in the conferences held here and in the region.

During the transition to black majority rule in South Africa in the 1980s, Wilton Park became a venue for representatives of the black community and the ruling National Party to meet behind closed doors. We have been hosting events on the Western Balkans since the late 1990s. Our conference in September 1999 on the Western Balkans after Milosevic, held less than three months after the end of NATO’s air campaign, was attended by many of those then in opposition, now elected to power in Belgrade and elsewhere in South East Europe.

While strengthening the European programme, Wilton Park also moved into new global arenas with issues relating to Japan, China, North East Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, Latin America all becoming integral parts of the annual programme of conference.

Funding

Becoming an FCO Executive Agency in 1991 gave Wilton Park more autonomy and a more secure financial footing with the opportunity to raise more of its own funding. Wilton Park now raises funds to cover all of its running costs with the FCO providing capital funding, along with financial and intellectual support for specific conferences, in order to support its public diplomacy objectives. Remaining funding is met by participants’ contributions, sponsorship and the hire of Wiston House for other events. Our financial performance as an Executive Agency is overseen by a Departmental Board chaired by the FCO. Our independence is overseen by a well established Advisory Council who advise on conference themes and monitor their quality.

Participation

Wilton Park brings together government, business, civil society and the expert community in a secure environment where they can challenge, understand and learn from each other. For government, Wilton Park helps to inject external thinking, build networks, promote agreement, and harness expertise that improves policy and provides strategic foresight. For businesses, it provides unique insights, a platform to engage with policy discussions and the opportunity to understand governments and make themselves better understood. For civil society groups, Wilton Park supports their representation and coordination so that they can maximise their impacts.